The coach of Penn baseball was suspended for the first series of Ivy play last weekend after the team was found to have violated NCAA rules.
The Ivy League handed down the suspension to coach John Yurkow for the team's actions during the 2023 Ivy League season. The suspension lasted for only the first series of conference play, as Yurkow returned to the field this past Tuesday during the Liberty Classic against Delaware.
Following a postseason review, Penn was found to have broken NCAA Rule 5-2-F, according to the Ivy League. This rule prevents individuals from transmitting extra information like film, pitch velocity, or other measurables to team members during live action. Breaking this rule implies that the Quakers benefited from illegal advantages throughout their Ivy-winning 2023 season.
"Games and individuals shall not be videotaped from the team’s dugout," the rule reads in part. "Any scouting information shall not be transmitted to the playing field or to team personnel… Monitors for viewing live or taped video during a game are prohibited from the dugout or bench area, and all adjacent areas (i.e., athletic training rooms, locker rooms, etc.)."
When asked for comment on Yurkow’s absence during Penn’s sweep of Brown last weekend, pitching coach Josh Schwartz declined to comment on the situation. Yurkow later released a statement through Penn Athletics communications.
“I have served my suspension for issues that were raised last year and am ready to move on as we continue to pursue an Ivy League championship in 2024," Yurkow said.
The exact way in which the Red and Blue broke these rules remains unclear. One source close to the team who was granted anonymity suggested that they encountered issues because they were relaying their pitchers' velocity back to the dugout.
"The Ivy League thought it was cheating, so they suspended our pitching coach," the source said, "but the Ivy League teams didn’t think it was enough, so they voted for Yurkow to sit out the first Ivy League series we had this year.”
The magnitude of the suspension suggests that the Ivy League does not believe that Penn's misconduct was significantly impactful on the success of the Quaker’s Ivy-winning team.
The Quakers look to wipe the dirt off their ledger this next weekend versus Columbia as they move forward into Ivy conference play.
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